If you have spent any amount of time with us during our stead here in Florida, the title will make absolute sense to you. My husband has recently been obsessed with shortening words for the fun of it (or really, just to get under my skin), so that was a shout out to him. :) "Mish" is short for missionary.
So I'm not sure most people think about what it takes to move a family cross-country when everything you planned for just kind of goes out the window...whew, can't wait until we're moving around the world! You know, let me rephrase that...I'm not sure *I* thought about what it would take to get us moved in the event that all of our plans got thrown up in the air.
It has been a lesson in seeing how the body of Christ functions during times when we need it most. It has been humbling, beyond helpful, and just plain amazing to be on the receiving end.
Our week started off on Wednesday when Trevor's parents flew in to basically just make themselves available to us to watch the older girls while we got busy packing. They took them overnight, brought them special snacks and coloring books and crayons, took them swimming, to the park, and basically made this whole crazy moving experience for them FUN. Words can't express my gratitude. One of my biggest concerns was how they were going to process all of this...not only moving out of our house, but saying goodbye to many of their own possessions--whether it be toys or dressers or giant stuffed animals named Princess, etc. Because we are moving into a fully-furnished place, we are going through the first phase of detaching ourselves from our things. Not always easy.
Wednesday afternoon we got busy packing and by Thursday I had several ladies calling me asking if I could use their help, to which I said, "Most certainly!" By Thursday evening we had boxes of pizza brought over for us and a house-full of incredibly servant-hearted friends giving up their time and energy to make this thing happen. Around this time Laís decided she was terribly overwhelmed, being happy with none other than Mommy. Her screaming could have been heard in the next town over, I'm sure of it. All this to say that I, the one who was actually moving, was doing nothing more than sitting holding my baby while our dear friends packed up my pantry, cleaned the kitchen and the bathroom and the floors, etc. etc. ETC. It was an incredibly humbling time. It was all I had in me not to break down in tears...which I may or may not have done when no one was looking;) These families were the hands and feet of Jesus to us.
Somewhere in the midst of all this what we thought was just going to be a regular tune-up on our car turned out to be a huge need for a ton of work. Let's just say that these things always seem to teach us a deeper and more resounding lesson in trusting in God's provisions;) He is so good. We went to bed on Thursday grateful and amazed at what all had gotten done. We were feeling pretty good at the prospect of leaving on Sunday.
Friday started out with Trevor and Mike taking the car in to yet another shop way up in Orlando because there was a small leak in the transmission. Becky came right away in the morning to once again help me pack and Beth came for the express purpose of holding little Laís. She officially holds the title of "Baby Whisperer" in our family. She literally held her for about 8-9 hours to give me the opportunity to pack. If you only knew how wonderful it was to know that my little baby was happy and content in the midst of craziness.
Trevor called that afternoon and told me to sit down. Pretty sure I would've rather gone without the information he was about to unload. Turns out our car needed a major transmission overhaul (again) requiring it to be in the shop until Tuesday...the day we were supposed to be unpacking the truck--in DALLAS. So, the next two days were filled with trying to make huge decisions that inconvenienced a whole lot of people who were gracious enough to not let us see how inconvenient it actually was for them. It was determined that Trevor's parents would drive the truck for us, losing out on what was supposed to be fun traveling time with their grandkids. The Downeys, Millers, and Borlands would do a grand car swap so that we could have car transportation while we waited for all this to happen. We packed the truck up Friday evening when a bunch of helpful, strong guy friends came to assist Trevor in solving the puzzle of getting everything in. Turns out we had more room than we anticipated...I suppose better than the other way around!
Saturday morning we did a garage sale, and I won't even go into how much help we had with that...between pricing things, moving things around, and hauling large furniture around the greater Orlando area. Whew. It makes me tired just thinking about it. Between Grandma and Beth, Laís was a happy camper yet again. Thank You, Lord.
We met our landlord on Monday and gave her the keys and we are now officially out of our old house. Kind of a crazy feeling. Staying in a house that isn't our own, driving a car that isn't our own, and having all of our earthly possessions being driven cross-country by someone other than ourselves. I cannot imagine going through all of this without the body of Christ. We have been given gift cards, monetary gifts, and fun travel packs for our girls for the road from people who I know would rather remain nameless because of their desire to simply serve and give quietly.
I want to shout at the top of my lungs how incredibly good God is. It has been a hard week, I will admit it. My emotions have been frazzled and most of our "normal" has been put on the back burner. But in the middle of all of it, there has been this constant reassurance that God is providing for ALL of our needs. He's taking care of us. And He's using His people to show us.
So, I simply want to say thank you. I had half a mind to list all of the names that helped make this move possible, but I am afraid I would run the risk of missing someone and I could not live with myself if I did that. And so, you know who you are. So many of you don't even live here and somehow found a way to help. You have made all the difference. You have blessed this little family in ways we will never forget. May God bless you in ways you never imagined.
Hopefully by 3:00pm today we will be off in search of our new "normal". To God be the glory.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Monday, September 12, 2011
From Expectations to Praise
"I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul makes its boast in the LORD; let the humble hear and be glad. Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together!" -Psalm 34:1-3
Well today marks "the day", folks. It's the day we've been making our way to for the last 9 months, claiming that our baby is "due" to arrive today. The day is half-way over and I have a feeling this baby has missed the memo. Maybe the doctor didn't say it quite LOUD enough when he announced the due date to me, so this little wiggle worm decided to make his/her own scheduling of the grand entrance. Perhaps we're the ones who didn't get the memo. ;)
With each day that passes I somehow find it harder and harder not to be disappointed (sounds crazy putting this on paper..er, screen) that my baby didn't arrive on such and such a day. At first I thought it would be September 1st. Not bad, right? First day of the month, easy to remember. Then I thought, well, if not Sept. 1st, then Sept. 5th...Labor Day! Kind of comical in itself. What I was REALLY hoping for was Sept. 7th. Unbeknownst to most of you, it is Brazilian Independence day. I thought that would be quite fitting. Next up was the 9th so the baby could share a birthday with a good friend of ours. Then the 10th...I mean 9/10/11--pretty great birth date if you ask me. And let's not forget 9/11/11...this baby could share a birthday with his/her Daddy. Special indeed.
It is now September 12th and I almost find myself retracting in the other way...if not today, then I'm fearful for this baby to come in the next couple of days because my doctor is out of town! Why am I so very hard to please??
And so, I find myself with a choice that needs to be made. I can either continue to get caught up in thinking--let's be honest...worrying--and being consumed about the birth of this baby, or, I can set my mind on things above and plead with the Lord to help me put my trust in His all-knowing timing. Simply leave it in His hands and be at rest. So, instead of wallowing in my self-pity and wishing for that which is not for the moment, I wanted to just start meditating on all He is has blessed me with. I decided to just start listing out what I'm thankful for. I'm just gonna to go for it and list it (in no particular order) on this blog, and if you care to read, then I thank you for taking part in my re-directing and renewing of the mind today. :)
What I'm praising God for today:
1. A new life growing within me...a miracle in itself.
2. A God Who is patient, kind, and tender-hearted towards me.
3. A family to enjoy this stage of life with me.
4. Friends who have checked up on me just with a little note or phone call.
5. A Mom, Dad, Mother-in-law, and Father-in-law who are anxiously waiting by the phone for news that their newest grandchild is soon to arrive.
6. A friend who checks on me each day and is willing to get me and the girls out of the house to do something fun...all the while putting her own schedule on hold.
7. A church full of ladies who are waiting for the call so that they can get some meals ready for us.
8. A doctor who loves God and is on the same page with how I would like to handle this birth.
9. Food. I mean, really.
10. Two little girls who say the funniest things and bring joy unending into our lives.
11. A comfortable bed. Sleeping on the floor at this stage of pregnancy would NOT be fun.
12. Nieces and Nephews who ask their friends and classmates to pray for their aunt and new baby cousin.
13. My brother and his wife and son who will soon be moving closer to us when we live in Dallas.
14. Bikes with training wheels that my girls can have fun riding while they wait.15. Crayons and coloring books...a fun activity that I don't have to get up for but my kids love to do.
16. A whole bookcase of children's books that I can read with my kids when I just want to sit down.
17. A husband who finds me more beautiful EVEN when I am huge and not as fun to live with.18. A big, blue exercise ball that is way more comfortable to sit on than a chair.
19. Really good music (Gungor, Violin music, anything inspiring, etc.) that brings me into a place of worshiping the God who created me rather than dwelling on what I wish was happening at the moment.
20. Ice cream.
21. Pillows that help me sleep.
22. The sound of the baby's heartbeat.
23. Ministry partners and friends who support us through prayers and finances and just plain love...I feel like this one needs to be WAY further up the list...but, I did say these were in no particular order, didn't I?
24. Facebook...I know, weird. I'm not normally that thankful for "fb" for some reason. But lately, I have been so encouraged by friends who post on my wall asking how I'm doing or about the baby, that I just can't help but be thankful! What a great way to connect.
25. Contractions. With every contraction I feel like I get a little closer to meeting this little baby.
Speaking of which, I think I may be getting one now, so I think I'll wrap this up. I could keep going and going and going, but for now, I am encouraged. God is so very good. And not just because of what He supplies, but because of who He is. He didn't need to give me a single thing listed above, and I could still fall on my knees in gratefulness because of all He is.
"I will bless the Lord at all times."
Monday, September 5, 2011
"Cristo Me Amou"
Happy Labor Day to each of you! We trust you had a restful day. We here at the Schuh household thought it best to stick close to home as we are awaiting the birth of this baby any day now. So, no hour and a half trip to the beach for us. We spent the day as a family here around St. Cloud. And, I've got to say, we had a pretty fun day! One of the things Trevor and I had fun doing was recording a song in our living room.
When I was younger, I have very vivid memories of my parents going up in front of church and singing this particular song - "Love Lifted Me"...in Portuguese: "Cristo Me Amou". They would stand real close to each other in front of the pulpit (which usually had a microphone) and share this song with the congregation as special music. If I remember correctly, they would always sing it in Portuguese first, as we were usually in a Brazilian church, and then in English second. Whenever I hear the song, I think of my parents.
Last night while waiting for some friends to come by, Trevor pulled out our Portuguese hymnal and thought he'd have a go at some of the songs. Usually he's the one who plays the piano while we both sing, but this time I noticed him struggling to play AND sing this language that he's just beginning to learn. So, I played and he worked on his Portuguese singing. "Love Lifted Me" was one of the songs we came across, still marked on from when my parents sang it. I was so proud of him I asked if we could record the song today so I could send it to my parents. Well, we did, and now I'm posting it here for you to listen to....he's so embarrassed. :) Here is the English version (which actually is quite different than the Portuguese version) as we did not record that part.
I was sinking deep in sin, far from the peaceful shore,
Very deeply stained within, sinking to rise no more,
But the Master of the sea heard my despairing cry,
From the waters lifted me, now safe am I.
He will lift you by His love, out of the angry waves.
He’s the Master of the sea, billows His will obey,
He your Savior wants to be, be saved today.
When I was younger, I have very vivid memories of my parents going up in front of church and singing this particular song - "Love Lifted Me"...in Portuguese: "Cristo Me Amou". They would stand real close to each other in front of the pulpit (which usually had a microphone) and share this song with the congregation as special music. If I remember correctly, they would always sing it in Portuguese first, as we were usually in a Brazilian church, and then in English second. Whenever I hear the song, I think of my parents.
Last night while waiting for some friends to come by, Trevor pulled out our Portuguese hymnal and thought he'd have a go at some of the songs. Usually he's the one who plays the piano while we both sing, but this time I noticed him struggling to play AND sing this language that he's just beginning to learn. So, I played and he worked on his Portuguese singing. "Love Lifted Me" was one of the songs we came across, still marked on from when my parents sang it. I was so proud of him I asked if we could record the song today so I could send it to my parents. Well, we did, and now I'm posting it here for you to listen to....he's so embarrassed. :) Here is the English version (which actually is quite different than the Portuguese version) as we did not record that part.
I was sinking deep in sin, far from the peaceful shore,
Very deeply stained within, sinking to rise no more,
But the Master of the sea heard my despairing cry,
From the waters lifted me, now safe am I.
- Love lifted me!
Love lifted me!
When nothing else could help,
Love lifted me!
He will lift you by His love, out of the angry waves.
He’s the Master of the sea, billows His will obey,
He your Savior wants to be, be saved today.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Life and EthnoArts
I wrote this about a week ago and simply forgot to post. So, "last night" is not really last night.
You can listen to this, one of my all-time favorite songs, written and recorded by Gungor, while you read this post. You're welcome.
Last night I was given a gift....a night out by myself. I don't really get out too much by myself these days and being the introvert that I am, every once in a while is good for my soul as well as the sanity of our home. Trevor gave me the green light to just GO, assuring me he would take care of the kids and bedtimes. So what did I do? I went to Joann Fabric. I know...woohoooo, you're thinking. Well, it was kind of a nice time for me cause I needed some fabric to make some things for when baby gets here.
It wasn't so much the going to Joann's part that was so refreshing. It was the drive, there and back. I do some of my best thinking when I'm driving by myself. Between the 25 min. drive there and the 25 min. drive back I listened to an entire album: "Beautiful Things" by Gungor. There is something about their music that refreshes me and renews me in the Lord EVERY TIME. I cannot help but worship when I listen to this music. The lyrics are so incredibly God-centered...forcing the listener to set his eyes on the One who makes all things new and longs for His creation. And not only that, but these musicians are brilliant. Their music flows from one song to the other while each song has a specific place in the order of tracks for a very specific reason. The whole album is cohesive and tells a story...and very clearly for God's glory, not their own. I LOVE this kind of album...it's not just feel-good music, it's music with a purpose. It causes me, as a follower of Christ, to be drawn closer to Him as a result of listening to it. I could go on and on about this album, but you'll just have to find out for yourself. And a coolest thing is, Trevor and I were music-major friends at Cedarville with the cellist in this band.
It got me thinking about all of the EthnoArts training that Trevor is going to be receiving (and I will to a degree as well) come next spring. The reason we're going into this whole arena of fusing Bible Translation and the Arts is because all of our various art forms are such an effective medium at aiding Scripture to reach deep down inside His people. Does God's Word need anything else to make it effective? No, but for some reason, God created this thing called music (and dance and visual art) to be used as a conduit for speaking to His people. And I love it! I want to help make His Word available to people in forms and styles that reach them in ways that speak to their hearts because I know how much it has changed me and my own walk with God. It's all about Scripture use and giving cultures the ability to integrate their own styles and cultures into their new understanding (and acquisition) of God's sharper-than-any-double-edged-sword Word.
You can listen to this, one of my all-time favorite songs, written and recorded by Gungor, while you read this post. You're welcome.
Last night I was given a gift....a night out by myself. I don't really get out too much by myself these days and being the introvert that I am, every once in a while is good for my soul as well as the sanity of our home. Trevor gave me the green light to just GO, assuring me he would take care of the kids and bedtimes. So what did I do? I went to Joann Fabric. I know...woohoooo, you're thinking. Well, it was kind of a nice time for me cause I needed some fabric to make some things for when baby gets here.
It wasn't so much the going to Joann's part that was so refreshing. It was the drive, there and back. I do some of my best thinking when I'm driving by myself. Between the 25 min. drive there and the 25 min. drive back I listened to an entire album: "Beautiful Things" by Gungor. There is something about their music that refreshes me and renews me in the Lord EVERY TIME. I cannot help but worship when I listen to this music. The lyrics are so incredibly God-centered...forcing the listener to set his eyes on the One who makes all things new and longs for His creation. And not only that, but these musicians are brilliant. Their music flows from one song to the other while each song has a specific place in the order of tracks for a very specific reason. The whole album is cohesive and tells a story...and very clearly for God's glory, not their own. I LOVE this kind of album...it's not just feel-good music, it's music with a purpose. It causes me, as a follower of Christ, to be drawn closer to Him as a result of listening to it. I could go on and on about this album, but you'll just have to find out for yourself. And a coolest thing is, Trevor and I were music-major friends at Cedarville with the cellist in this band.
It got me thinking about all of the EthnoArts training that Trevor is going to be receiving (and I will to a degree as well) come next spring. The reason we're going into this whole arena of fusing Bible Translation and the Arts is because all of our various art forms are such an effective medium at aiding Scripture to reach deep down inside His people. Does God's Word need anything else to make it effective? No, but for some reason, God created this thing called music (and dance and visual art) to be used as a conduit for speaking to His people. And I love it! I want to help make His Word available to people in forms and styles that reach them in ways that speak to their hearts because I know how much it has changed me and my own walk with God. It's all about Scripture use and giving cultures the ability to integrate their own styles and cultures into their new understanding (and acquisition) of God's sharper-than-any-double-edged-sword Word.
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Our Bun in the Oven
"So do you know if it's a boy or a girl?"
If I were given a nickel for every time I got asked that question these days, we'd have no need to raise support.
Trevor and I enjoy this one little surprise in life. We didn't find out with either Acácia or Eliana whether or not we would be getting a boy or girl come birth day. And yes, we completely agree that it is still a surprise when you find out on an ultrasound day as opposed to the day that baby enters the world kicking and screaming. So, I'm not really here to compare one way of doing over the other...there is really no difference between the two, just saying we like to wait because it's fun for us.
What happens after the question is popped is more the topic of choice. One of three responses usually transpires after I say that we won't find out until we meet this baby:
1. "Why in the world not?!" -- annoyance
2. "I don't know how you do it." -- quasi-jealousy
3. "Good for you!" -- admiration
Even more interesting is the phrase that follows about 98% of the time....
"As long as the baby's healthy!".
Well-meaning? Yes. Cultural? Yes. With complete good intention? Yes. Accurate? I don't really think so.
It's more what this phrase implies that causes me to go deep in thought after each time I hear it. Being pregnant forces you to allow yourself to think through all of the possible outcomes of this whole 9 months of growing life inside of you. What if the baby is not "healthy"? Then what?
The Lord knows that we pray for this baby's physical health, as we do for each of our other children. It is most certainly not something we take lightly, but there is almost an unspoken element to this statement that implies that the baby would somehow be flawed or less-than if he or she is born "unhealthily". As if this is THE big question that will make or break a deal or that will dictate our joy come that blessed day.
The Lord knows what the days ahead would bring if our child is not born in the way we expect, but regardless, he or she is the child God has given to us in just the way He purposed. It is a life created by God, entering into this world at just that precise moment in history, meant to give us a little more of a clearer picture of our Father's heart, in whatever fashion God deems pleasing to Himself, beyond mere physical health. May God be glorified through this child's life. May He be magnified and worshiped by all of His glorious creation.
I am 34 weeks along on this journey...so we will let you know in a few short weeks the answer to the boy/girl question! We are so looking forward to meeting this little one and finding out which (boy or girl) God has blessed us with. Until then!
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Redundandundancy (or Blogging about Blogging)
A picture...because it's worth a thousand of those words down there that you may or may not choose to read...
It's been awhile since I've been here. I (Trevor) always post a blog this particular recurring week because for some odd reason I'm asked to be the "expert" on blogs in a class on social media for our new members in Wycliffe. How odd it would be to show them the current view of the Traveling Schuhs site when my most current post most likely has a photo of my now 4 year old daughter while she was learning to walk?
Anyway, I've been thinking a lot about this whole beast called the blog lately. I've gone back and forth on it, really. I know there's probably no one even reading this anymore because everyone is out of the habit, which is comforting really. I heard someone tell me recently that "it really isn't a blog if you don't post twice a day". Huh. I disagree. That would actually annoy me a bit, and I'm not easily annoyed, I assure you. I follow a blog like that, and it's not that interesting on most days.
I've also been pondering the merits of why I even have my own blog. Okay, why we have this blog. In my head I think I get it. We want to keep people informed. We want to tell stories, share pictures, maybe inspire our family and friends, stay connected. Some days it feels like I just want to feel a pat on the back. It's like Facebook and Twitter and the whole jumbled up knot of social media were created to feed my fame craving ego and I just want to be funny enough, or witty enough, or just plain profound or humble enough to go to bed with a smile on my face and rest peacefully so that I can start all over again in the morning.
Okay, that was pretty deep.
Many people try really hard to be funny in their blogs. They rarely succeed (I hope I'm listening). Some folks are just plain born with a gift of funny. I read those blogs.
Some people that I know and love are always (and I mean always) very (and I mean very) serious when they write on the internet. I don't hate serious things, and I really love profundity (and big words) (and also asides), but taking everything seriously can get pretty mundane and stale quickly. I know one guy who is probably one of the most energetic and riveting people you could possibly meet in person, but if you only read his blog you would think he was as dry as the Sahara desert! He tells better jokes in person than I write, too.
Okay, since this is getting longer than a blog post should be, let me get to the point.
Instead of trying to come up with the best reasons why I think I should blog, I decided that I would think of why I like to keep up with other people's blogs and just do that. Sort of a middle of the road approach. A little bit of funny, sometimes deep, occasionally mediocre, but hopefully always just plain honestly me. So that's what I'm going to do. Here's the beginning of my working list. Feel free to add to mine...
REASONS I READ BLOGS:
1: I want to see how my friends are doing
2: It's great to show pictures of faraway friends to my kids
3: We pray for friends and family who are sick (CaringBridge, etc.)
4: I catch up on the news
5: Funny people are always funny
6: Former/current Pastors can be a great source of encouragement
Did I miss any?
Any other thoughts?
Do you have a blog that we should follow?
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
What Happened After the Bank
I must tell you about my day. For a moment I am going to wipe from my memory the fact that there are several items of note in our family to update you on and simply pretend that we have blogged faithfully for the past, I don't know, 6 months. God's goodness just blew me away to the extent that I've got to share it.
A little background. We are in the process of getting rid of lots of (hmmm..how do I put this..) STUFF. No-longer-useful-to-us items. Things we don't need. Excess.
We will soon be moving into a smaller house (well, duplex actually, but that update is yet to come) and I am trying to be on top of this "downsizing" issue before the baby comes (yes, another one of "those things" that begs an update). To the casual onlooker, or nosy neighbor, our garage probably looks like it imploded. Kind of pharisaical...you know, white and clean on the outside (yes, our garage door is, in fact, white) and messed up on the inside. We have twin minivans that are forced to endure this Florida heat and sunshine because there is no room for them in the inn even though we have a two-car garage. However, I am pleased to inform you that these piles that together make a large garage-y mess are well-sorted through stacks that are destined for a better home. They can hardly wait.
One of these particular piles is one that has been set aside for a crisis pregnancy center just down the road from us. I had a couple of medium-sized bags/boxes packed up and ready to go, but the two "bigger-ticket" items were a double stroller and a highchair. A note about the double stroller.
This stroller happened upon us less than a month before Eliana was born. It was right after we had moved into a condominium complex in Stow, OH, where my dad is caretaker. The week after we moved in, my dad asked Trevor to help him clear out an apartment that someone had simply left for him to clean up the mess. They left all kinds of things...everything from almond extract to a nice king-size mattress...never intending to pick it up. Some of it was simply junk, but there were certainly some gems in the rubble. One of them being this Graco double stroller in great condition. While Acácia was not too little by this time, she was still small enough that a double stroller would be a *huge* help in adjusting to life with two little ones. I cannot begin to tell you the use we have gotten out of this thing during the two years after Eliana was born. Every time we used it I was reminded of God's desire to bless us in ways we never even imagine.
Fast-forward to present day and here we find ourselves with a baby about to be born, but with a toddler who is really old enough to walk around on her own two feet. No need for a DOUBLE-stroller. I didn't really want to sell it because it came to us without cost. And so, in my heart, I began praying that God, at just the right time, would place this stroller in the life of one who needed it and could get a lot of mileage out of it. I wanted it to be a blessing to another new mommy in a way that it had been to us.
I had known that we were going to take it to the pregnancy center for quite some time but had just never found the energy to load it up and take it there. Somehow it seemed like a bit of a hassle. So there it sat in our garage. Shame on me, but as you'll see, what a testimony to God turning our ashes into beauty.
This weekend we made leaps and bounds in clearing out some of the piles in our garage (going to Goodwill, recycling, etc. etc.) that by the time today rolled around, that pile was one of the last two left. And so, I loaded the girls up in the car and went on a mission. We had to stop at the bank (where my girls happened to be blessed with two purple suckers by the lady at the window who most certainly could not see in the van to know that there were exactly two little girls in the back seat) and then we would make our drop-off at the pregnancy center. In the car ride between the bank and the center I gave my best shot at explaining (in 4 and 2-year-old language) what we were doing. We've talked about this kind of thing before, but I think it finally "clicked" at least for Acácia. The girls shut their eyes tightly and we prayed very specifically that God would give that stroller and highchair and bags/boxes of other things to just the right people. They finished off the prayer with a hearty "Amen".
We pulled up and for a moment I considered not going in since there was a questionable looking fellow standing in front of the entrance door, not looking in any hurry to move, and giving me a bit of a stare-down. Thankfully, I did not listen to fear and simply asked him if the place was closed, to which he answered, "no". As I walked back and forth a few times from my car to the front door (which thankfully was even closer than our own front door from our driveway) in order to bring everything in, I noticed a girl, probably about my age, in a pink shirt with a very obviously pregnant belly. As I was dropping off my last item the secretary asked if I wouldn't mind showing how to fold/unfold the stroller. She then informed me that this girl in the pink shirt with the largely protruding belly was pregnant with twins and going to be induced in one week. She also went on to say that so very rarely does it happen that the owner of the stroller is able to show the recipient (or any of them, for that matter) how it works. This very pregnant girl with twins JUST HAPPENED to be there at the exact moment I decided to drop everything off. Even down to the decision to go to the bank first was God orchestrating all this!
I couldn't believe it. I asked her what her name was and shared with her and the other ladies that we had just got done praying that God would give it to just the right person. God is AMAZING!
I proceeded back to the car so excited to talk to the girls about what had all happened, but in my pregnant state was overwhelmed with emotion (a.k.a. I wept) at God's grace in not only allowing me to meet this new mommy who would have the stroller, but then allowing me the joy of sharing with my daughters the very real and practical and awesome goodness of our God. So after choking back the tears I told the girls all about it and we simply rejoiced in God's goodness (after I explained that my tears were in fact "happy tears", of course). How I long for them to see His heart.
Praise be to our God and Father who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.
A little background. We are in the process of getting rid of lots of (hmmm..how do I put this..) STUFF. No-longer-useful-to-us items. Things we don't need. Excess.
We will soon be moving into a smaller house (well, duplex actually, but that update is yet to come) and I am trying to be on top of this "downsizing" issue before the baby comes (yes, another one of "those things" that begs an update). To the casual onlooker, or nosy neighbor, our garage probably looks like it imploded. Kind of pharisaical...you know, white and clean on the outside (yes, our garage door is, in fact, white) and messed up on the inside. We have twin minivans that are forced to endure this Florida heat and sunshine because there is no room for them in the inn even though we have a two-car garage. However, I am pleased to inform you that these piles that together make a large garage-y mess are well-sorted through stacks that are destined for a better home. They can hardly wait.
One of these particular piles is one that has been set aside for a crisis pregnancy center just down the road from us. I had a couple of medium-sized bags/boxes packed up and ready to go, but the two "bigger-ticket" items were a double stroller and a highchair. A note about the double stroller.
Fast-forward to present day and here we find ourselves with a baby about to be born, but with a toddler who is really old enough to walk around on her own two feet. No need for a DOUBLE-stroller. I didn't really want to sell it because it came to us without cost. And so, in my heart, I began praying that God, at just the right time, would place this stroller in the life of one who needed it and could get a lot of mileage out of it. I wanted it to be a blessing to another new mommy in a way that it had been to us.
This weekend we made leaps and bounds in clearing out some of the piles in our garage (going to Goodwill, recycling, etc. etc.) that by the time today rolled around, that pile was one of the last two left. And so, I loaded the girls up in the car and went on a mission. We had to stop at the bank (where my girls happened to be blessed with two purple suckers by the lady at the window who most certainly could not see in the van to know that there were exactly two little girls in the back seat) and then we would make our drop-off at the pregnancy center. In the car ride between the bank and the center I gave my best shot at explaining (in 4 and 2-year-old language) what we were doing. We've talked about this kind of thing before, but I think it finally "clicked" at least for Acácia. The girls shut their eyes tightly and we prayed very specifically that God would give that stroller and highchair and bags/boxes of other things to just the right people. They finished off the prayer with a hearty "Amen".
We pulled up and for a moment I considered not going in since there was a questionable looking fellow standing in front of the entrance door, not looking in any hurry to move, and giving me a bit of a stare-down. Thankfully, I did not listen to fear and simply asked him if the place was closed, to which he answered, "no". As I walked back and forth a few times from my car to the front door (which thankfully was even closer than our own front door from our driveway) in order to bring everything in, I noticed a girl, probably about my age, in a pink shirt with a very obviously pregnant belly. As I was dropping off my last item the secretary asked if I wouldn't mind showing how to fold/unfold the stroller. She then informed me that this girl in the pink shirt with the largely protruding belly was pregnant with twins and going to be induced in one week. She also went on to say that so very rarely does it happen that the owner of the stroller is able to show the recipient (or any of them, for that matter) how it works. This very pregnant girl with twins JUST HAPPENED to be there at the exact moment I decided to drop everything off. Even down to the decision to go to the bank first was God orchestrating all this!
I couldn't believe it. I asked her what her name was and shared with her and the other ladies that we had just got done praying that God would give it to just the right person. God is AMAZING!
I proceeded back to the car so excited to talk to the girls about what had all happened, but in my pregnant state was overwhelmed with emotion (a.k.a. I wept) at God's grace in not only allowing me to meet this new mommy who would have the stroller, but then allowing me the joy of sharing with my daughters the very real and practical and awesome goodness of our God. So after choking back the tears I told the girls all about it and we simply rejoiced in God's goodness (after I explained that my tears were in fact "happy tears", of course). How I long for them to see His heart.
Praise be to our God and Father who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.
Monday, March 14, 2011
A Tale of Two Minivans
I promised a blog post on the subject of the two vans sitting in our driveway, so here it goes.
Two years ago, when we were preparing to make the move to Orlando, we found an affordable green '98 Ford Windstar (thanks, Mollie and Steve!). This van has been good to us, though we've had a love/hate relationship at times. One time, I ended up walking 5 miles home from the shop because of the rusted out brake line on what our mechanic affectionately calls a "Yankee bucket of bolts"...okay, he only calls it a Yank, but I'm reading between the lines. He routinely brings his proteges around to gawk at the underbelly of the van so that they can see it's exotic salt and rust damage. You think I'm joking.
Living 30 min. from work, I've become accustomed to carpooling (thanks to all my trusty chauffeurs!), but every so often, I'll need to take the van and leave Sarah stranded at home with the girls. For a year now, we've assumed that it will eventually kick the bucket, or at least be not-so-worth-fixing. A few months ago, we started trying to save up a little at a time to buy a more reliable option, especially with another potential move for our family next year (more on that later). Nothing fancy or expensive, but a decent car or van to take on road trips would be nice!
Then we got stuck on a mountain in Tennessee in the middle of a snowstorm with our van, which was actually a champ, considering the situation! While on a lovely vacation with Sarah's family, I got a fairly random voicemail from Ryan, a friend here in Orlando. He said that he heard about a friend of the family that was wanting to...get this...give away a minivan. As I heard the description of said minivan, the "coincidences" kept piling up.
1998. Got it.
Ford. Check.
Windstar. This is getting weird.
110,000 miles. Bonus! Our current '98 Windstar has close to 200, 000.
So I called this mysteriously generous gent thinking, "there's no way this is for real...something's gotta be wrong here." Sure enough, when I talked to Shaun on the phone, I got the whole story. First, some more odd similarities:
"The passenger window doesn't roll down...The automatic locks are funky...The rear heat and A/C control is schizo...The door pretends to be ajar and dings whilst driving under 16 miles per hour." Check, check, check, and, yes, check. We've learned to live with these oddities and laugh them off before. No big deal. We're missionaries, right? Isn't this sort of what we do?
Then:
"Transmission slippage." Ugh. That's gonna cost.
"But wait! There's more! If you take this free minivan off our hands, we'll throw in one thousand dollars! We've had the damage appraised, and that should cover it." I think at this point I chuckled out loud. It may have even been a guffaw. Surely this couldn't be happening to us! Not even family would give us a deal this good! It turns out that this awesome clan had been able to get two brand new vehicles with money left to them with a death in the family, so they wanted to give their old van to a family who needed it. By grace alone, we had become the chosen family.
Several phone calls and trips to the DMV later, we had the van in our driveway. Praise the Lord! To make a very long story relatively short, we were able to get the transmission fixed for much less than projected AND patched up a newly sprung brake line leak on our old van. It's so weird to state all of this in a few sentences because this has been one of those wildly dramatic rides that kept us completely speechless along several points of the journey. I mean, really, God is fantastic at wowing us!
Oooooh, oooooh! And what's my favorite feature on the van? I'm glad you asked! We got a built in VHS Player!!!!!!!! Seriously. Is there anything more exciting than that?
Each step of this story had more twists and turns than a Ted Dekker novel, and we'd love to tell them all. But I'll spare you the details. Needless to say, our God is great and greatly to be praised!
Currently, our "new" van (The Miracle Mini) is being used by some good friends in Orlando on furlough from Nigeria until Thursday. The best thing about being given a blessing is to pass it on to others. I must admit, though, I'm excited to start driving it around, because the girls haven't even taken a ride around the block in it yet. It's sort of become a "stone of remembrance" for our family, which is also awesome. Every time I see it, I'm reminded of God's faithfulness. And His humor, too.
-posted by Trevor, the belated blogger.
Two years ago, when we were preparing to make the move to Orlando, we found an affordable green '98 Ford Windstar (thanks, Mollie and Steve!). This van has been good to us, though we've had a love/hate relationship at times. One time, I ended up walking 5 miles home from the shop because of the rusted out brake line on what our mechanic affectionately calls a "Yankee bucket of bolts"...okay, he only calls it a Yank, but I'm reading between the lines. He routinely brings his proteges around to gawk at the underbelly of the van so that they can see it's exotic salt and rust damage. You think I'm joking.
Living 30 min. from work, I've become accustomed to carpooling (thanks to all my trusty chauffeurs!), but every so often, I'll need to take the van and leave Sarah stranded at home with the girls. For a year now, we've assumed that it will eventually kick the bucket, or at least be not-so-worth-fixing. A few months ago, we started trying to save up a little at a time to buy a more reliable option, especially with another potential move for our family next year (more on that later). Nothing fancy or expensive, but a decent car or van to take on road trips would be nice!
Then we got stuck on a mountain in Tennessee in the middle of a snowstorm with our van, which was actually a champ, considering the situation! While on a lovely vacation with Sarah's family, I got a fairly random voicemail from Ryan, a friend here in Orlando. He said that he heard about a friend of the family that was wanting to...get this...give away a minivan. As I heard the description of said minivan, the "coincidences" kept piling up.
1998. Got it.
Ford. Check.
Windstar. This is getting weird.
110,000 miles. Bonus! Our current '98 Windstar has close to 200, 000.
So I called this mysteriously generous gent thinking, "there's no way this is for real...something's gotta be wrong here." Sure enough, when I talked to Shaun on the phone, I got the whole story. First, some more odd similarities:
"The passenger window doesn't roll down...The automatic locks are funky...The rear heat and A/C control is schizo...The door pretends to be ajar and dings whilst driving under 16 miles per hour." Check, check, check, and, yes, check. We've learned to live with these oddities and laugh them off before. No big deal. We're missionaries, right? Isn't this sort of what we do?
Then:
"Transmission slippage." Ugh. That's gonna cost.
"But wait! There's more! If you take this free minivan off our hands, we'll throw in one thousand dollars! We've had the damage appraised, and that should cover it." I think at this point I chuckled out loud. It may have even been a guffaw. Surely this couldn't be happening to us! Not even family would give us a deal this good! It turns out that this awesome clan had been able to get two brand new vehicles with money left to them with a death in the family, so they wanted to give their old van to a family who needed it. By grace alone, we had become the chosen family.
Several phone calls and trips to the DMV later, we had the van in our driveway. Praise the Lord! To make a very long story relatively short, we were able to get the transmission fixed for much less than projected AND patched up a newly sprung brake line leak on our old van. It's so weird to state all of this in a few sentences because this has been one of those wildly dramatic rides that kept us completely speechless along several points of the journey. I mean, really, God is fantastic at wowing us!
Oooooh, oooooh! And what's my favorite feature on the van? I'm glad you asked! We got a built in VHS Player!!!!!!!! Seriously. Is there anything more exciting than that?
Each step of this story had more twists and turns than a Ted Dekker novel, and we'd love to tell them all. But I'll spare you the details. Needless to say, our God is great and greatly to be praised!
Currently, our "new" van (The Miracle Mini) is being used by some good friends in Orlando on furlough from Nigeria until Thursday. The best thing about being given a blessing is to pass it on to others. I must admit, though, I'm excited to start driving it around, because the girls haven't even taken a ride around the block in it yet. It's sort of become a "stone of remembrance" for our family, which is also awesome. Every time I see it, I'm reminded of God's faithfulness. And His humor, too.
-posted by Trevor, the belated blogger.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Encouragement
Sometimes we all need a little reminder about Who to put our trust in. This is what we've been talking a lot about the girls. May your heart be encouraged in the Word of God.
Please forgive Acácia's dish-towel-scarf. She refused to take it off:)
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